Speed-controlling device.



H. C. W. GRAHAM.

SPEED C ONTROLLING DEVICE. APPLCATION FILED MAR. s, 1913.

1,179,521, Patented ARI-18,1916.

HEDLEY C. W. GRAHAM, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SPEED-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application filed March 8,1915. Serial N 0. 13,040.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEDLEY C. W. GRA- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the. county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed-Controlling Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates broadly to improvements in speed controlling devices and more 1 to cause its action to be instantaneous.

by air pressure or the like, so constructe ilhas IS result is accomplished by the provision of certainnovel features of construction and combination to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In describing the invention, I shall refer to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the various views, and wherein;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion. of a locomotive and the track upon which the same is mounted, showing the application of the invention to use; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the construction of the operating mechanism removed from the locomotive, this view showing the normal position of the parts, and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of parts when a danger point on the'track has been passed.

In this drawing, constituting a part of the application, 1 designates a pressure casing here shown in the form of a cylinder having a stufling box 2 at one end and a hollow boss 3 on one of its sides near its other end. Mounted within the casing or cylinder 1 is a movable partition 4 which obstructs communication between the two ends thereof. this partition being here shown in the form of a piston having rings 5 frictionally engaging the cylinder 1, although it will be evident that a flexible partition or dlaphragm could well be substituted for the movable partition or piston 4.

Secured in any suitable manner to the piston 4 and extending outwardly therefrom through the stufiing box 2, is an operating rod 6, the latter being here shown as disposed in an upright position although it will be evident that this location of parts is not essential. Preferably disposed in parallel relation to the operating rod 6, is an upright air supply pipe 7, the air in which is adapt ed to apply the brakes of the locomotive in the usual or any preferred manner. Movement of said air, however, is controlled by an appropriate valve 8 between the receiving and delivery ends of the pipe 7, said valve having a laterally projecting hand lever 9 which is pivotally and slidably connected intermediate its ends to the upper end of the operating rod 6, as shown at 10. It will thus be seen that when the rod 6 is shifted in the proper direction the valve 8 v will be so actuated as to allow the compressed air in the air line 7 to apply the brakes to an extent great enough to stop the travel of the train or to check the speed thereof, as may be preferred. Simultaneously with the applying of the brakes as above set forth. the valve 11 in the steam supply pipe 12 is closed the provision of a laterally extending lever 13 whose free end is pivotally and slidably connected at 14 to the intermediate portion of the rod 6. In the present case, the pipe 12 is shown as disposed .inrear of the air pipe 7, although it will be evident that this positioning of parts is not absolutely essential. Furthermore, although the two pipes 7 and 12 are shown in the drawings as being disposed in upright positions, it will be evident that this construction need not be followed too closely.

For the purpose of actuating or shifting the operating rod 6 longitudinally when a danger point on the track is passed, and to prevent said rod from being shifted inadvertently, I provide means now to be described. Leading from the air pipe 7 at a point above the valve 8, is a branch pipe 15 which leads to one port of a. two-way three port valve 16 which normally establishes communication between the receiving end of the pipe 15 and the delivery end 15 thereof. the

latter leading from one of the ports of the valve 16 through the hollow boss 3 into the lower end of the cylinder 1, while an additional air pipe 17 leads from the pipe into the upper end of the cylinder 1, this pipe 17 being preferably provided with a manually operable cut-oil valve 18. Since the pipes 15 and 17 equalize the air pressure in the cylinder l on both-sides of the piston therein,

it will be evident that the frictional contact of said piston and its rings 5 with said cylinder, will retain the operating rod 6 in neutral. position, in which the two valves 8 and 11 are in proper position for allowing the locomotive to be propelled over the track. However, if the two-way valve 16 be so 019- eratcd as to obstruct coi'nn'iunication between the pipe '7 and the lower end of the cylinder 1, and to establish an exhaust from the latter, it will. be evident that the pressure above the piston 5 will force the same downwardly thus moving the operating rod 6 downwardly and actuating the levers 9 and 13 to operate the valves 8 and 11, thus either stopping the locomotive or checking the speed thereof.

In order to operate the two-way valve 16 from its normal position. seen in Fig. 2 to the position seen in Fig. 3, the plug 19 of said valve, which plug is provided with an arcuate port 20 opening through its periphcry at spaced points, is provided with an operating leven- :21, which latter is so disposed as to strike a suitable trip 22 disposed to one side of the track. This trip may be of any preferred formation for accomplishing the best results.

By the arrangement of the parts just described, the port 20'establishes communication between the pipe .15 and the cylinder 1, under normal circumstances, but when the lever 21 is rocked by contact with the trip 22, said port is moved to the position seen in Fig. 3 whereupon it communicates with the pipe 15 and. an exhaust pipe 23 with which the casing of the valve 16 is a'ovided, thus allowing the air below the piston l to be expelled. 1n resetting the device after it has been operated, the valve 18 is closed, a pet cock 24: in the upper end of the cylinder 1 isopencd, the plug of the valve 16 is returned to its normal position, and the hand lever 9 1S. raised. to'lts normal position. It will thus be seen that all parts of the device are again in readiness for action, when the pet cock 24 which has been previously opened to allow the escape of air from the upper end of the cylinder 1, is closed. and the valve 18 is again opened thereby equalizing the pressure above and below the piston l.

One of the most salient features of the invention lies in the provision of construction whereby pressure is at all times so confined as to act immediately upon the piston 1, it being unnecessary to first open valves to allow pressure to reach the piston. Furthermore, although the action of'the parts'is practically instantaneous, the air being expelledfrom the lower end of the cylinder 1 by the descent of the piston therein, serves as a retarding medium for preventing the brakes from being applied too suddenly, since this would be very undesirable for well known reasons.

In addition to the parts above described, although the same is not necessary to the proper operation of the device, any preferred form of recording instrument 25 may be provided, the construction of this in-' struinent forming no part of the present in-; vention, it being understood, however, that suitable connections (not shown) are providedbetween appropriate moving parts of the speed coi'itrolling mechanism and the actuating mechanism of the recorder. By the provision of this instrun'ient it will be evident that the number of times the safety device is actuated, during certain trip, will be recorded thereon, thus allowing the of ficials of the road to ascertain whether or not the engineer has run past any danger signals during the trip.

It may here be explained, that although the invention will operate to great advantage when positioned as disclosed in Fig. 1 it might well be disposed at any other appropriate point .on the locomotive, its particular location being immaterial in so far as it is so disposed as to allow the valve 16 to be actuated. by the trip, which latter may be, in. some cases, disposed overhead,-rather than to one side of the track.

A speed controlling device for locomotives comprising a cylinder, a piston movable in' said cylinder, a rod carried by said piston and extending through one end of said cyl- J inder, air and steam supply pipes arranged adjacent said rod,valves in said' pipes, op crating levers carried by the movable elements of said valv s, and connected to said rod for simultaneous actuation by the latter, a branch pipe leading from the air supply pipe, a pipe connecting said branch pipe with one end of said cylinder, said pipe having a manually operated valve therein, an exh oust pipe leading from the last named end of said cylinder and having a manually operated exhaust valve therein, a two way valve, an additional pipe connecting said branch pipe with said two-way valve, said valve having three ports therein, one port being connected to said additional pipe, a

second. port being connected with a pipe communication with two of said ports, a

lever carried by said plug and operable by my hand in presence of twosnbscribing wita trip arranged along the track, whereby nesses;

the exhause pipe is opened into coxnmnnicav n l F '1 tion with the pipe leading to the last named HEDLEY 5 end of said Cylinder for exhausting the air Witnesses:

from the latter. JOHN A. R. WHITE,

- In testimony whereof I have'hereunto .se E. J. FLOYD. 

